The COVID pandemic has resulted in businesses globally having to adapt and shift strategies in order to survive in the long term. Rugby has felt the full effects of the pandemic, especially in Australia.
What is clear is that Australia is not in isolation with the financial impact of COVID. Were it not for the recent CVC investment in the UK’s Premiership Rugby it is likely that a few sides would have ceased to exist.
It has resulted in Premiership clubs reducing the size of the salary cap, meaning international talent playing in England will start to decline, with priority given to cheaper local talent. French clubs, with their rich backers, are also starting to shift from the Toulon Galacticos squads of the past to now develop the very talented young crop of French players ahead of Rugby World Cup 2023 and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
This is now leading to players looking at the Far East for lucrative contracts, and rather than this continuing to be a threat for Rugby Australia, this should be identified as an opportunity.
Next season plying their trade in Japan will be Australians Samu Kerevi, Sean McMahon, Michael Hooper, Liam Gill, Harry Hockings and Isaac Lucas, all of whom would be in or around the current Wallabies squad with a view towards the next World Cup. There is no doubt that having all these players available for the recent Bledisloe Cup and Tri Nations series would only have improved the talent pool.
However, as per the current selection policy, only Hooper would satisfy the ‘Giteau law’, with the others relying on the recent amendment that was only in place for 2020.
The proposition would therefore be to create a strategic partnership with the Japanese Top League. Such an action would likely require New Zealand rugby union participation, but tat this stage this is being examined through an Australian lens.
This is not a new concept, with both the Melbourne Rebels and more recently the Queensland Reds announcing partnerships with Japanese Top League teams, but more can be achieved from cooperation at a union level.
First and foremost, let’s acknowledge the faults of previous Super Rugby competitions, especially with long and expensive overseas travel and matches played in time zones that were non-complimentary to Australian and New Zealand audiences. Let’s also forget having a token Japanese team as part of any future trans-Tasman competition, such as the Sunwolves, when the current Top League is a competitive and skilful competition that should be acknowledged.
The concept would be to create a consensus where the trans-Tasman competition and Japanese seasons are aligned from a calendar perspective and as per their current formats.
Next season the Top League will run from January through to May whereas the Super Rugby and trans-Tasman competitions will run from February to June. The regular domestic seasons can then be supplemented with crossover matches featuring teams from Japan, Australia and New Zealand as part of the partnership. This could take the form of an end-of-season playoff between the trans-Tasman and Top League winners. Alternatively, we could have a knockout-style cup competition with all 26 teams played either during the domestic seasons or immediately following their completion with a maximum of five rounds.
The second suggestion could be based at a single location to counter too much travel, with a rotation between the three countries hosting the competition. It will also provide an additional asset for broadcasters to monetise and potentially the opportunity for them to acquire Top League broadcast rights, which will then have a much stronger narrative for audiences, with more interest created with competitive fixtures between Top League and Australian teams during the season.
Such a collaboration at the union level, with seasons overlapping and player releases, should allow Australians playing in Japan to be available for international selection with minimal impact compared to travel from Europe.
The positives of such a proposal will provide Australian players with the opportunity to increase their earnings playing overseas, providing financial relief to Rugby Australia with the added bonus of them still being eligible to the national team.
(Photo by Jono Searle/Getty Images)
The major concern of this approach is an outpouring of Australian talent heading north. However, this can be mitigated by having an agreement on the number of Australian eligible players competing in the league or requirements that players have to meet – for example, having a minimum number of caps for their Australian team.
We have heard many times this past year how rugby union is a global game compared to our AFL and NRL cousins, so let’s embrace this, especially at a time when financially Rugby Australia need assistance. To have high player salaries off the books in the short term that can be used secure contracts for the talented crop of younger players coming through can only be a good thing. Despite Michael Hooper moving to Japan next season, the fan reaction has not been negative – instead there’s been more excitement to see how Carlo Tizzano performs for the Waratahs in the No. 7 jersey.
There are plenty of positives from such a partnership for Rugby Australia, but what benefit will the Top League see? The Top League has a great crop of players, but on a global scale the league still lacks legitimacy compared to its antipodean and European counterparts. The opportunity to play competitive matches against Australia and New Zealand teams will only help to further raise the profile of rugby in Japan.
In addition, if a player is still eligible to represent their country at international level, it will also further raise the calibre of player that could be picked up by a Top League team.
The Japan Top League is gaining in stature and it is only going to continue to grow in attracting the world’s best players, especially with European clubs tightening their purse strings. The intention of the Giteau law was to keep the best players playing in Australia with the lure of the Wallabies jersey. Unfortunately, in recent times this has not been enough, with lucrative foreign salaries being taken up in what in some cases can be a very short career and with Rugby Australia unable to financially compete.
No longer has an overseas contract been the path for players hitting the twilight of their career; we are seeing players in their peak and more recently players starting off their senior careers deciding that playing abroad is a better option financially.
While Rugby Australia finances are struggling, options should be considered to allow players to top up their earnings and allow the best team possible to represent Australia while maintaining the governing body’s element of control.
Ultimately we all want to see the best Wallabies side with best players available competing on the global stage, but in order to achieve that, we require some new thinking.
Ex force fan
Guest
Geoff, the Force is the victim of RA decision to axe the Force in 2017. Since then we didn’t get the same level of support financially or the same level of representation at RA. We are not playing the victim we have been the victim of RA incompetence and we don’t have the same level of representation as the other franchises. The current outcome is inequitable and unfair. That is not perception that is fact. There has been calls for reforms to be made from Forrest and many others since the start of the year. Forrest also provided a carrot in the promise of funding if these reforms are made, however no progress has been made till date. I believe that NSWRU and QRU will not let their hard thought stranglehold go easily. How much time is sufficient for a two man committee to point out the obvious? Why the delay? And when will we get an answer? The current situation is unacceptable and the fact that RA is dragging their feet on making the reforms is also untenable. How long are you prepared to wait for them to point out the obvious- the current situation is untenable.
Thanks I didnt know that was Wills first name.....I think he was past it by 2019 too...Very good player tho and consistancy was a trademark.....
Gepetto
Roar Rookie
That's Will Genia's real name. We agreeon some things; WTF was TwoDads doing in the last World Cup squad
Who cares where old rugby players who are past it play? DC is still playing FFS...Keep dreaming Gep but QC was never that good....Not sure what the reference to Sanches is all about.
Gepetto
Roar Rookie
Sanchez and Quade start for the Liners on 26/12/2020. Another undefeated season? I'm still waiting for Rennie to perform.
Good for a laugh
Guest
Japanese comp remains garbage quality. Western Suburbs fifth grade have more talent. Big crowds of under 2,000 each week. Get funnier.
Gep if Quade is the answer then someone asked a really stu-pid question.....he was extremely average at the rebels last year...extremely average
Hopper
Guest
Cooper would be my first choice 10 in 2021.The others just don't cut it.
Obes
Guest
Dungo Dave will learn the hard way like Clown did.Persist with Blooper at your own peril.
bazza200
Guest
So hooper missed 3 penalty goals to win 3 games i see that's amazing when you don't kick the ball.
Etepeus
Roar Rookie
Hi Peter, agree with your comment, it is very hard to stop a greedy few from ruining something great for us all, while super rugby has its faults it did bring revenue to NZ rugby that possibly was unattainable without SR. I do find it difficult to understand how the UK and European Rugby Unions cannot get a centralised model in place that is to the benefit of all clubs rather than allowing a few rich people to control outcomes. Money corrupts the purest of ideas unfortunately - it's a very selfish world we have created.
itsgoodtobelucky
Roar Rookie
Nice article Hogie, and I agree – worthwhile to let players have more flexibility in a global game. As for your comp proposals, some good options presented. Pulling SR teams and TL teams together in a ‘post-season’ comp though, is unrealistic. The gap in quality is significant, even with the influx of foreigners. Would be more competitive with NZ Mitre10 provinces and AU NRC teams instead, though this is not feasible commercially, and future of NRC is doubtful anyway as i read. Plus whats in it for TL club owners, who didn’t all support a SR team in the first place, worried about losing their top club players? Similar club vs country issue as in FR/EN. TL clubs are limited to 3-5 non-JPN qualified players, iirc, and many ‘local’ players are no more than semi-pro. Rugby is only the 4th/5th most popular team sport in Japan, so tying up AU/NZ rugby with JPN seems a good idea for joint development, but first need to persuade self-interested TL club owners, and is a long game if talking about elite ‘SR’ level. Also why no PI? For me, giving more players/coaches career options in PI is a must-do: to support Pacific rugby economy instead of Eur/MLR leagues (better global growth), & PIs provide bigger playing population of ‘SR-level’ players than Japan does (higher quality rugby). Plus PI rugby unions might be more supportive with zero pro rugby on the islands atm, than JRFU/TL will be with a new comp muscling in on their patch. Tbh though, fixing Aus domestic game should i reckon be more important for RA than SR-level. What’s more important, Shute/HospCup/etc or NRC? There is a hierarchy of course, but neither seems to have prime focus as the path to growth, of the game nor of player development. 3 tiers exist in NZ and SA too (SR, Mitre10/CurrieCup, Clubs) but the balance seems less clear in Aus, though tbf SA domestic rugby isn’t an example to look at really. I would pitch either a shorter Aus club season and longer NRC for the best 200-odd players playing more high-quality games, or drop NRC and give clubs the stage (since they already have the public following) & add a 12-20 team national club comp in Sep-Oct instead of just Shute/HospCup winners play-off. Take top 5-6 from SS/QP then top 2-3 from ACT/VIC/WA, for champions league-style comp with pools then QF/SF/F by Oct. Prob also cheaper for RA too than NRC, and more revenue for clubs. So, club season: 22 wks Apr-Aug for SS/etc, 8 wks Sep-Oct for National Club Champs, and elite season: 16wks in Feb-Jun for SR, then Test tours, Bled in Jul, RC in Aug/Sep, & Test tours in Nov. I wish they’d switch the test tours around too, go to NH in Jun and to SH in Nov. Means players aren’t traveling round the world already tired at end-of-season, and Tests are played in good weather not dead of winter.
Peter
Roar Rookie
Yes I agree Etepeus. It was wearing a bit thin watching the Crusaders win year after year but I fear that a globalised calendar will only accentuate the divide between the have's and have not's. Look at a football club like Manchester United for instance. A vast percentage of their wealth is generated off shore these days thanks to the globalised effect of Satellite T.V and the Internet. It doesn't matter that more children play the game in Brazil or Africa than in England. What matters is the number of eyeballs across the globe, be they in Morocco or Bangkok that are drawn to watch them. People want to watch the best and Manchester United being as it is a "premier" club in a "premier" league represents for many the best. It is a virtuous circle. Money makes money. They are able to leverage what they earned from the last crop of players to help maintain or enhance both their own premiership and capital position into the future but at what expense does Manchester United's success come for football in general. Like Capitalism, if left unregulated sports run the risk of becoming anti-competitive. Sadly Rugby in it's own modest way is following a similar template. World Rugby has neither the capacity nor gumption to truly democratise the game. The player's will continue to come from across the Rugby family giving the impression that the game has been democratised but in essence the business of Rugby will continue to rest with a handful of elite, comparatively, rich clubs probably based in either the UK or France. A Globalised League sounds refreshing but is, I suspect a Trojan horse and in truth no more than an Ideal. In practice it will I fear be manipulated to suit and to concentrate still further the dominant position of Rugby's Oligarch's. Don't get me wrong, I admire the Crusader's and don't say this in anyway to diminish their successes but their dominance was born out of Super Rugby's structural failings. The tournaments raison d'être was flawed from the start. The Unions sort to use the tournament to strengthen their respective national squads and forgot just who it was that was in fact paying their wages in the first place. Little to no attempt was made by Sanzar to rebalance the tournament with the entertainment of the paying audience in mind. Left untouched New Zealand were always going to dominate the tournament. Rugby is their national sport. It's infrastructure runs both wide and deep. In Australia Rugby is the weakest of all four football codes and yet no attempt was made to rebalance the tournament with this in mind. For Sport to flourish it must grab the attention of the general public and to do that it must entertain and to do that it MUST, first and foremost be competitive. The N.F.L and A.F.L understand just how important a balanced tournament is and with this in mind employ a draft to help level as it were the playing field, football too, has it's transfer system. Super Rugby was instead run more like a sort of patriotic protection racket. If Rugby wishes to court a globalised calendar or globalised footprint it cannot afford to make the same mistakes again.
On the other hand Hooper has been a loser for 7 years and 105 tests straight. 50 as captain. Facts are indisputable. WOW... A loser for 105 tests straight and 50 as captain...Those facts are extremely disputable...In fact they are total BS.....
Muglair
Roar Rookie
Asian Pacific alignment makes sense and for many years a competition ran in parallel to Super Rugby (forgotten its name). All of these suggestions over time ignore one point. I have not seen one proposal which truly explains why it will benefit Japanese rugby and its stakeholders. I don't have an answer but would be interested if a Roarer would post an article on the needs and future path of rugby in Japan. From their perspective, not the writer's. If Marinos is to be new RA CEO I would hope that his SANZAAR experience will inform the discussion, but I won't hold my breath.
CPM
Roar Rookie
The Top league will just morph into something like the Top 14 where clubs will be in control looking after themselves and their pockets. They will need quality players and will throw big cash to secure players for their needs. I don’t think that Aus or NZ will be able to compete for talent against these mega rich teams, owned by huge companies and billionaires. Sooner or later CCP style laws like the Giteau law that prevents freedom of movement and employment will have to be scrapped. The only option is to align your season with theirs and somehow join them.
Geoff Parkes
Expert
EFF, I'm sure you're well aware that there's a constitutional review being undertaken currently. If that results in an inequitable outcome for WA rugby then by all means play the victim card then. But don't you think we should at least pay the two gentlemen undertaking the review, and the new executive the courtesy of seeing how it turns out?
Gepetto
Roar Rookie
Quade Cooper is still playing and eligible.
Anthony Barber
Guest
It sounds a great idea for cross over games at the elite provincial level. Surely a KO challenge cup style would be easiest. Why not include the all southern hemisphere teams as well as Japan. On a related point Super Rugby Australia needs a 6th team. West Sydney . The raw talent has to be harnessed and provided with a strong path to the national team and a world game. This is the advantage rugby offers over league, its competitors for body contact sports players. It would be wrong to base a Pasifika team in Western Sydney beforea WS team itself. The PI team and WS teams are separate issues. NSW and Australian Rugby have not taken up the opportunities that exist to grow the game in WS. The WS team has to be fit all Aussies, but will particularly be available to those based in WS and hopefully NSW Country. Should the team have a majority proportion of PI heritage players great, should it not great, its for all Aussies. Conditions must apply though. All members of the squad need to be affiliated with WS Shute Sheild feeder team, ie Penrith, Parramatta (reverting to their traditional name), Macarthur if they are admitted, West Harbour, Western NSW. RA has to learn how to produce national talent from the raw resources that are there. The incentivisation is in this plan. AB
LuckyPhil
Roar Rookie
Good article and I have been saying for a long time that we should be moving towards Japan from a financial perspective and the fact we are in similar time zones. I think initially the best way to do it would be for the three regions (ie Aust, NZ, Japan) to become conferences of the one competition. At the end of the season, the top 2 from each conference would meet to play off in the finals. Over time, this may change and replace the three conferences with two tiers with a promotion relegation between the two. To make this work, both Aust and NZ would need to allow their players to move between all teams in the competition (and better still, run this competition completely separate from RA/RNZ). I think this would be a much more attractive product from both a consumer and broadcaster perspective.